Manufactured homes, such as mobile homes, trailers, and prefabricated homes are manufactured at a central manufacturing site and moved to the desired location where they are to be used. A typical manufactured home has a frame comprising a pair of longitudinal support beams that are supported at a height above the ground to allow for ventilation and crawl space. Typically the supports include piers such as concrete blocks, pilings, or stabilizing jacks.
However, strong winds or earth tremors can cause the home to be toppled from supports. Due to this risk, various types of stabilizing systems have been used for stabilizing manufactured homes on their piers. In the most common system, multiple tension straps are used to tether the manufactured home to the ground. In these systems, the tension straps typically extend perpendicularly outwardly from incremental positions along the length of the manufactured home's support beams. Usually, the tension straps extend downwardly from the support beams of the manufactured home frame to ground anchors, such as an auger and shaft, that are deeply embedded into the soil. Often, the tension straps are securely connected to the beams with strap connector assemblies that clamp or latch onto the support beams. Typically, a beam clamp includes a hook which receives an upper flange of the support beam. The tension straps usually are threaded through a strap slot formed in the clamp member. These strap slots normally are configured so as to be parallel to the hook and the longitudinal direction of the manufactured home, such that the tension straps can be positioned substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the manufactured home.
Sometimes it is necessary or convenient to position a ground anchor such that the tension strap cannot be orientated perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the I-beam of the home. For example, the ground anchor may already be in place and the home may include some obstruction such as a beam or plumbing, or a pier may be in the way, or it may not be possible to place the ground anchor in the desired location due to an obstruction such as an underground pipe or electrical conduits, or a large stone.
Conventional ground strap systems are not designed for non-perpendicular alignment with respect to the beam. Non-perpendicular alignment creates harmful stress concentrations in the tension strap or the clamp. A few ground anchor systems relieve stress from non-perpendicular strap alignment by pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the strap plane. However, these systems typically must be altered to accommodate different vertical strap angles.
Therefore, there has been a need for an anchor strap frame clamp that specifically provides for non-perpendicular orientation of the anchor strap to the beam and accommodates various vertical strap angles.